Deities and Faith
Do smoke offerings necessarily attract yin? What should people understand before practising at home?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Smoke offerings can be performed, but hearing praise is not a reason to disregard your circumstances. Understand the ritual and its original purpose, then consider your time, condition and comfort with it. I do not believe everyone necessarily attracts yin, nor use what I have never experienced to guarantee identical outcomes for all.
I encountered smoke offerings through a friend practising esoteric Buddhism who shared a ritual said to be suitable for public transmission. This explains my learning history, not claims every esoteric method needs no lineage. Mantras, visualisations and sequence can differ. Understand the original teaching.
The faith purpose involves offerings upward to deities and Buddhas and generosity downward to beings, not merely feeding ghosts. I have discussed how intention, visualisation and the ritual tradition’s original design influence understanding and performance. It cannot be reduced to what is burned while ignoring everything else.
Someone shared daily practice followed by feelings of beings knocking on a window after a missed day. I believe they had that feeling, but their ritual differed somewhat from mine. I practised diligently for a time, then stopped doing it daily because of time, without such knocking. Distinguish the experiences. Another’s feelings cannot become my own experience or prove missing one day brings trouble.
During the concluding dedication, I visualise that the ritual is over and everyone returns where they came from, rather than continually worry about someone remaining. This is my visualisation and experience. I have also mentioned possible divine protection when practising in a shrine or centre. No single factor establishes that anyone free of fear avoids every problem.
If already frightened and preoccupied, I suggest not forcing practice or demanding daily performance. Regular work supports continuity and accumulation, not imprisonment in fear of punishment after one omission. Understanding what you do makes approaching faith more peaceful.
If unsettling, unclear feelings truly arise, explain the situation and seek help judging it. I have also discussed existing interference, the residence and other possible factors. Do not attribute every unusual experience to smoke offerings or recitation. My sharing offers ways to consider it, not one conclusion for every household.